Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

Ladies, next year i'm tying the knot and i'm going to give my wife a gift of a bracelet, some champaigne, some roses and a bottle of perfume on the morning of the wedding. I'm looking for some advice on the perfume. I'm doing this way in advance so I can get some samples in and see which she likes the best. Seeing as it's for a special occaision, i'm not working within a budget, but I do have to actually be able to get my hands on the stuff, so uber-niche or vintage juice is probably a no-no. If there is a bunch of matching products - a candle/bath oil etc, then that's even better.

Some context...
The wedding will be in April, and a lot of it of it will be outside. My fiance will be 28. Perfumes she loves:
Vivian Westwood - Let it Rock
Lolita Lempicka
Floris - Fleur

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

Hi JDE, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Your gift idea sounds very thoughtful and romantic to me. To help us out with recommendations, I looked up the three fragrances you mentioned. Here are some descriptions I found:

LET IT ROCK
An oriental-woody fragrance with refreshing top notes of mandarin (or bergamot?) and freesia, a passionate heart of jasmine, and a base of patchouli and amber.

LOLITA LEMPICKA
Beautiful anise note is a perfect match to licorice and violet. The intensive green ivy note is fresh and optimistic. The almond is in harmony with woodsy iris and sweet vanilla, united with heliotrope and tonka.

FLORIS FLEUR
Fresh, youthful fragrance. Bergamot, grapefruit, and green notes of aquatic lily are united with fruity nuances of peach and melon. Heart is lily of the valley enriched with jasmine, rose and ylang. Warm base of sandalwood and musk.

So your fiancee seems to like oriental florals with a fresh, citrussy start. The Lolita Lempicka is the "odd man out" -- I haven't tried it (or any of these), but it sounds like a very interesting gourmand that is leavened by a fresh green note. It sounds like your fiancee likes some complexity in a fragrance, and is not averse to a little fruit. But we want to stay young and fresh, while making sure the fragrance has the "romance" factor befitting a wedding gift.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

JDE, first of all, congratulations!! Your finacee is lucky have such a thoughful bridegroom.

When my husband and I married, he presented me with a bottle of "White Shoulders" along with a gold heart locket necklace.

White Shoulders was a big fragrance about 40-50 years ago and was made by Evyan perfumes. ("The Baron" was a popular male fragrance from this company.) White Shoulders was given to my husband's mother by her bridegroom-to-be, so my fiance chose the family connection. The scent packaging boasted a light pink with the silhouette/cameo of a woman with flowing hair and (no surprise) bared sloping shoulders. The bottle was lozenge-shaped with a fluted gold cap. I have no idea who owns White Shoulders, but I am sure you can still find it.

Needless to say, pale shoulders in modern fashion don't rate for much as tanning is now de rigeur! LOL!

Nevertheless, whatever you choose, make sure it has a special meaning for you and her! It may be the fragrance, or just the shape of the bottle, or have some other romantic association.

BTW, I *still* have my old bottle of White Shoulders my husband gave me so long ago.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

My advice for a romantic gift of perfume:
• Smell the three she likes so that you have a good sense of the, You probably already do.
• Have a look at Huanani's descriptions descriptions of those scents (print them out)
• Go to a few places (Sephora, your wife's favorite department store or perfume store, etc.) and do some testing, narrowing down what you smell based on the info you now have.

With similarly limited but crucial data, my husband went to Nordstrom's one day and selected a perfume for me as a gift. He is not into fragrance the way I am, so this was a big deal.

The SAs were charmed and delighted to help a man who actually wanted to smell for himself and select something. They showered him with samples for me, too.

What he selected was Bulgari Jasmin Noir, which I love. I think of the fact that he chose it every time I wear it, and whenever I get compliments on it (which is quite often) I give him all the credit. It is special to me because he found it.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

Originally Posted by Nostalgie

What he selected was Bulgari Jasmin Noir, which I love. I think of the fact that he chose it every time I wear it, and whenever I get compliments on it (which is quite often) I give him all the credit. It is special to me because he found it.

What a lovely story - and scent! I introduced my neighbour to Jasmin Noir, and it catapulted from complete obscurity in her eyes (she had never looked at a Bvlgari fixture) to her all time favourite perfume! Quite an accolade as she has about 15 others in her collection, and considered herself a diehard Chanel loyalist...

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

I'm guessing you'd like to give her something incredibly special, but not over-priced.. not something she sees each time she shops..and gorgeous packaging could only be a bonus? With the bracelet, the champagne, etc?

Patou has a lovely, prettily-packaged fragrance called Sira des Indes that has the lively spirit of the Westwood, but a romantic sweetness that would also be appropriate should she douse herself for the ceremony.

You might also consider Chloe Eau de Parfum
or even Eau des Merveilles by Hermes

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

JDE, congratulations on your upcoming wedding and what a star you are! This is a brilliant idea and I'm sure your future wife will really appreciate the thought and research you're putting into it.

We have a standard answer on this board when people ask 'what should I get my wife/girlfriend for a present?' but I think we might have to adapt it a little for your situation. USUALLY we say 'collect a stack of samples you think she'll like and give them to her in a pretty basket, with a promise to buy her a bottle of the one she likes best.' That way the lady has the fun of chosing and ends up with a scent she loves, but the man gets lots of points for being wonderfully thoughtful.

Now if you want to make this bottle of perfume a surprise, you might have to approach it slightly differently. But I do think samples are the way to go. We could well describe something you think 'absolutely bang on! that's it!' and when you give it to her it has a note in it that she loathes. MUCH better to have her try things beforehand on her skin. You have quite a few months between now and then to work out some kind of 'world scent championships' game plan to compare this against that and have the winner go through to the next round.

I'll point you towards a couple of places you can buy samples, even of niche and unusual fragrances: the perfumed court.com, luckyscent.com, parfumsraffy.com and aedes.com are good places to start.
I'm sure you'll get some good suggestions on which perfumes to sample from the ladies on here.
My two pennysworth is to say that you might also consider sampling ones with Romance, Love, marriage or Amour in the name, just because it's appropriate. (Hey, I love the romance, OK? )

Kenzo Amour le Parfum is a woody, vanillic perfume that is a little sharper and woodier than the original. That might work. Send me a PM with your land address and I'll send you a sample to start you off on your search.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

First off, thank you very much for all your nice comments, and your ideas. I agree that sampling is definitely the way to go, and I also agree that my partner does tend to favour fruity orientals - the Lolita Lempicka is definitely the odd one out in her wardrobe, but she really likes it, even though she's not normally a fan of anise. I actually bought it for her just because I thought she would like the bottle!
We're going to go down to Oxford Street next month for a little shopping so I might persuade her to come to the perfume sections in all the major places and we might pop in to Les Senteurs, too. Sira des Indes looks very promising, notewise, so that's definitely going to get a sniffing.

The basket of samples is a great idea! I reckon I can get away with that and she wouldn't know what I was up to, seeing as how I tend to do odd things anyway...

Definitely food for thought and i'm very grateful for your help. I'll be sure to let you guys know what we've been smelling and what is going over well!

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

VM, you are so good at helping others find fragrances they like. I love that about you! Can you come up with some suggestions for our new friend JDE -- some preliminary things to sample???

I held back from doing so as I am not familiar with any of the three mentioned at the top of the thread. I might be able to think of some general weddingy-type scents, not that I have been married, mind! : - )

I'd say those were pretty feminine scents with the emphasis on florals more than fruit, admittedly.

A woody oriental to consider might be CK Truth, which is woody, watery, green and floral all at the same time. Beyond that, the woody orientals of my acquaintance might be a bit too incensey for a wedding!

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

I agree with Wordbird that the basket of samples would be heavenly. Some houses package their samples beautifully, too: Ormonde Jayne, Amouage, Parfums de Rosine.--these come to mind..); But just loose samples would be divine, too.

There are also certain types of scents that i associate with weddings--I like VM I hate Civet's list.

Eventually, of course, you should show her this thread. I'm sure she will be touched to see that put so much thought into this special gift, and even sought advice world-wide.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

Oooh, I had a revelation!
Bond no 9 - Chinatown - modern classic, peachy, romantic, beautiful bottle...
I hadn't realised you were in Essex, JDE. In that case, Les Scenteurs are the ideal place to send off for samples. I strongly recommend a visit to the shop - they get rave reviews from everyone who goes there!

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

I think Nostalgie is on the right track with Ormonde Jayne - and I think based on her other perfume choices, your fiancée might enjoy Ormonde Woman. Its luxurious and woody. I like Wordbird's suggestion of Chinatown too, another favorite of mine. Both of these are very special!

I think the choice of a wedding frag is influenced by whether one wants the occasion and the dress to dictate the fragrance (most of my list above!) or whether one prefers to wear the sort of scent that is more in keeping with one's everyday fragrance persona!

If the latter, then Wordie's rec of Chinatown is more appropriate than some of my wistful, floaty white florals. Though some of them also contain surprise fruit!

Another scent that may not be "special" enough, but which has more of a full bodied quality to it, plus some fruit, is Valentino V.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

It seems to me that since this is going to be an extremely long day for your bride-to-be, a perfume with great tenacity but low wattage due to frequent contact with virtually the entire crowd at your wedding would be imperative. What about Beautiful, White Linen or Pleasures by Estee Lauder? They are all very good wedding day choices.

Out of the three that you mentioned that she likes, I think Lolita Lempicka might be a bit obtrusive for all that interaction, but if that is one of her favorites, if used lightly, I think it could really work, and might endure through the better part of the day/evening.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

My vote would be for Badgley Mischka as another well-blended fruity-floral scent. Even if I didn't associate Badgley Mischka with fabulous wedding gowns, I would still consider it an elegant, sexy scent for a special occasion. I have a boxed set that included EDP, body cream, and a miniature of parfum. I also have the candle , and I know it's available in a shower gel.

and Le Parfum de Therese by Frederick Malle, which has that melon note, common with what she likes, but very unique.

you are a sweet man. Congrats on you happiness!

"Like a lobster with a pearl in its claw, the beet held the jasmine firmly without crushing or obscuring it. Beet lifted jasmine, the way a bullnecked partner lifts a ballerina, and the pair came on stage on citron's fluty cue. As if jasmine were a collection of beautiful paintings, beet hung it in the galleries of the nose, insured it against fire or theft, threw a party to celebrate it. Citron mailed the invitations." Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins p. 189

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

I think you have a ton of good suggestions here. One thought which you might consider is going for a classic that has stood the test of time. Fragrances from Caron, Chanel, Guerlain, and Dior would fit the bill. You don't want it to be discontinued in six months.
On Le Parfum de Therese, go to the Malle website and read the story behind it. Basically, a famous perfumer created that scent for his wife and she wore it exclusively. After his death they made it available to others. It is a lovely scent. I have it on today and it would be wonderful at a wedding in the spring.
Congratulations! I wish you much happiness.

Re: Wedding Day Gift Advice Needed!

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!
Why not try Creed Fleurissimo - made for Grace Kelly to wear on her wedding day?it is unpretentious floral that is perfectly suited to a spring /summer wedding.